RUNNERS are being urged to go the distance to fight heart disease at a Harewood House half marathon.

The British Heart Foundation is now welcoming entries for the event, which takes place on February 26 next year.

People are being asked to sign up to run or jog 13.1 miles around the estate to fight back against coronary heart disease, the UK’s single biggest killer.

The event, which is predominantly off road with undulating paths, is expected to attract 2,000 runners. It has raised almost £50,000 for the British Heart Foundation during the past two years.

BHF fundraising events manager, Helen Wright, said: "We’re very excited about returning to Harewood House for the half marathon and hope to see many enthusiastic people eager and willing to take on the challenge.

"This event has proven very popular during the past two years and is a sell-out event for the British Heart Foundation."

She added: "Coronary heart disease is not beaten yet – it remains the single biggest killer in the UK.

"It is responsible for almost 80,000 deaths each year – that’s more than 200 people dying every single day, so we urgently need the people of Yorkshire to support us in our search for the breakthrough that’s so desperately needed.

"A BHF event is the perfect way to support the nation’s heart charity, save lives and improve your own heart health at the same time."

Early bird entry fees are £25 for adults, and the event is open to over-17s. The BHF is urgently appealing to participants to raise as much sponsorship money as they can as the entry fee purely goes towards the cost of running the event safely.

Visit bhf.org.uk/harewood, e-mail the events team on events@bhf.org.uk or call 0845 1308663 to register.

The British Heart Foundation has pioneered research for more than 50 years that has transformed the lives of people living with heart and circulatory conditions. Its work has been central to the discoveries of vital treatments that are changing the fight against heart disease.